Bluetooth headsets don't make driving safer

New report blames gadgets for 25 per cent of car accidents

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A new report into traffic safety says there is no conclusive evidence that using a Bluetooth headset, rather than making a call on your handset, makes driving any safer.

The report claims that portable gadgets are now responsible for 25 per cent of accidents in the United States and suggests that novice drivers be completely banned from using their cellphones while driving.

Interestingly, the study reveals that there has been no fall in crash rates in US states where handheld phone use has been banned, hence the assumption that Bluetooth is no safer.

The Governors Highway Safety Association in Washington D.C. reckons that up to half of crashes are caused by drivers being distracted and half of those are attributable to gadget use behind the wheel.

Bad novices

The GHSA reckons that while making a call can increase your chances of an accident somewhat, texting is a bigger contributor to crashes, and says new drivers are the worst offenders.

"Novices are the highest-risk drivers. Their attention should be focused on driving, not on cell phone conversations... A ban reinforces this message... and helps parents manage their teenage drivers," the study claims.

The non-profit group came to its findings by researching ten years of crash reports.

So as well as looking like an idiot with your handsfree kit, both behind the wheel and on the street, you're no safer than you were before.